Qualcomm recently recruit the portable gaming securities industry by releasing a dedicated gaming chip for theRazerEdge . But while many assumed it was sticking to Android - power devices , it seems that Qualcomm may have greater ambitions .
During a metier roundtable result atComputex 2023 , Qualcomm revealed that it has spoken to both PlayStation and Nintendo regarding future portable gaming devices .
“ Those are companies [ PlayStation and Nintendo ] that are interested in having handheld gaming capability . So obviously they would attain out and talk to us , ” Alex Katouzian ( Qualcomm ’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Mobile , Compute and XR ) said . “ I conceive they , in universal , will reach out to someone like Qualcomm because they know how large we are in Android gaming . ”
It ’s important to note that Qualcomm did not affirm that it is working with either company on a unexampled handheld , and could have just offer advice . But with the late announcement of the Sony Project Q portable and on-going hearsay that aNintendo Switchsuccessor could make it in the next few years , it ’s certainly plausible that Qualcomm ’s gaming - centrical processor could power at least one of the approaching devices .
Back in 2021 , Qualcomm set in motion a processor called the Snapdragon G3x Gen1 , which was contrive specifically for gambling handhelds . So far , the Razer Edge is the only portable to use that CPU , but Qualcomm suggests it ’s exposed to looking for partners who want to use their own ecosystem rather than solely sticking to Android - powered scheme .
“ A lot of cabinet biz ship’s company want these handheld devices . They ’re not necessarily high - end computer graphic capable devices , but they want to keep all those mobile gamers in their own ecosystem . So in that good sense , it take common sense for us to try out and go after that , ” Alex Katouzian suppose .
“ If you look at the handheld play dollars that have been generated in the year , it ’s openhanded than all of the other game segment put together . ”
So could Qualcomm really be working with these gaming companies ? We ’re not convinced for the next Nintendo Switch , specially if Nintendo finally decide to enable 4 K support for its next cabinet .
Our benchmark tests show the Snapdragon G3x Gen1 is n’t even more powerful than the late smartphone chips , let alone fast enough to play television games at a 4 kilobyte resolving power . Qualcomm would have to give its processor a serious functioning boost to power a Switch successor , although it ’s confessedly not out of the interrogative that it could do so by grow a custom chip for Nintendo .
It ’s more potential that Qualcomm is cultivate with Sony on the recently unveil Project Q , as the portable wo n’t need a brawny native performance since it pullulate games over a Wi - FI connexion instead . Either way , we can only speculate for now – but it ’s a move that would make a lot of sensation for Qualcomm as it looks to delve deeper into the gaming market .
